Eye on O.C.: Riding on the metro

OC Metro honoree Dr. Shalini Shah, director of Pediatric Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at UC Irvine, with her husband Amrit Bhangoo of Irvine during a gathering at Newport Lexus in Newport Beach as OC Metro showcases their Forty under 40, a salute to young professionals to watch.STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER

•Javiera Cartagena, district director of the California State Assembly.

Hundreds of professionals from all over Southern California gathered at the Newport Beach Lexus dealership to toast the accomplishments of OC Register Metro's new crop of "40 under 40" honorees at a congenial reception.

Guests were greeted with life-size posters of the "40 under 40" issue in the elegantly decorated space.

"I'm totally overwhelmed – this is one of the highlights of my career and a very big honor," said Dr. Shalini Shah, director of pediatric pain management in the department of anesthesiology and perioperative care at UC Irvine.

Attending with family and friends, many of the award recipients were excited to meet one another. "My company Core 3 Technologies is a lot of smart people and it's because of them I'm getting recognized," said Chris Bergen, who serves as managing partner. "I'm excited to be around a great group of people here tonight."

Steve Churm, Orange County Register vice president and group publisher of Churm MediaMagazines, and OC Register Metro Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Porrazzo took to the stage to sing the praises of awardees from a variety of fields. "Each one of these individuals we're going to honor, in their own way, is making a difference here in Orange County," Churm said.

"It was really inspiring to see ... everyone come together to celebrate each other," said Sophie Kupersmith, who attended to support her husband, Luke Kupersmith, co-founder/CEO of Source Consulting who appeared on the cover of the magazine.

OC Metro honoree Dr. Shalini Shah, director of Pediatric Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at UC Irvine, with her husband Amrit Bhangoo of Irvine during a gathering at Newport Lexus in Newport Beach as OC Metro showcases their Forty under 40, a salute to young professionals to watch. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER
Jina Page of Costa Mesa looks over OC Metro's cover story Forty Under 40 during a gathering at Newport Lexus in Newport Beach honoring their salute to young professionals to watch. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER
The crowd at Newport Lexus in Newport Beach for a gathering honoring OC Metro's Forty Under 40, look over the magazine's cover story. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER
Luke Kupersmith, co-founder/CEO of Source Consulting and OC Metro honoree, with his wife Sophie Kupersmith during a gathering at Newport Lexus in Newport Beach as OC Metro showcases their 40 under 40, a salute to young professionals to watch. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER
Christopher Bergen of Newport Beach, co-founder and managing partner of Core 3 Technologies, with his girlfriend Heather Kieny, also of Newport Beach, during OC Metro showcase of their 40 under 40 salute to young professionals to watch. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.